Pink-slip tally surges past 1,000 for state workers

At least 1,012 people have lost their jobs at state agencies this year, mostly from the deep cuts made in the $19.7 billion state budget that went into effect July 1 after the Republican-led legislature overrode N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue’s veto.

The N.C. Office of State Personnel, which keeps track of the number of individuals who had their jobs eliminated, released the new number of laid-off workers upon request today. Last week, the total was 809[1].

The 1,012 figure for pink-slips is thought to be a low estimate. Not all agencies have reported back to state personnel office in a timely manner, meaning that it’s likely that the number will go up as more agencies report back about the extent of cuts they had to make.

The state personnel office also doesn’t keep track of positions eliminated as workers opted to retire, or job losses in the state’s 115 public school districts or community college system.

It does, however, factor in cuts made in North Carolina’s state university system. (Previous posts have incorrectly said the university system was not factored into the OSP numbers, and we apologize for the error and confusion.)

N.C. Policy Watch wants to hear about the effects that these cuts are having, on individuals who are now out of jobs as well as by services that are being cut or scaled back. Drop reporter Sarah Ovaska a line at sarah@ncpolicywatch.com if you’ve got something to share.

UPDATE: The state education department, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, wants school districts to report how many and types of positions that will be cute and if the positions were filled or vacant. DPI expect to have that information by mid to late August, right before the start of the school year. Many school districts are still determining where the discretionary cuts are going to happen, and have until the end of the month to figure out what they’ll do, said Vanessa Jeter, a DPI spokeswoman.